San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-06-27
SOPHIE FELDER's CRIME.
She Gives Birth to Child in a Street-Ca
and Throws Il in a Ditch.

QUO AHiFto " a. NAlAAAA III a 0tk-SaAl
and Throws II in a Ditch.
In May last a German girl named
Sophie Fielder, aged about 20 years.
came to San Antonio and took service
with DR.. shepherd, living at his house
on BurlesOn street, and being good ser
want she gave satisfaction. The doctor
suspected that the girl WAS enclente,
but that does not seem to have troubled
him much. On Saturday she complained
OF being sick and asked permission to
visit her relative, Mrs. Schumacher, who
resides on North Flores street near
TESTS store. This was granted and she
left home just after dinner. At l:45 p.
IN. she boarded a san Pedro Springs car
No. 10 at the Houston street turn-table.
There were then several persons In the
car, but at the Acequia street long switch
all the other passengers had left
and she WAS alone. Between that point
and the switch opposite Theo. Ander-
sons house, the girl gave birth to a
child. When the car stopped at the
car switch the girl alighted, took her
new born babe, which was crying and
threw II into the ditch near by, and
then she got on the car again. Ii would
naturally be expected that the street car
driver, Fred Stauss, heroioally saved
the mother. but he neither did, nor at
tempted to do any such thing, but he
drove OIL on his way. At the Springs
the girl alighted, and run of through
the Springs to Nr.Schumscher's, evident
ly terrified and daZed by what
had passed. Soon after this some
boys playing near the ditch dis
covered the body OF the child
in the water and raised an alarm. JUS
tice Barnes was notified, a jury empan-
neled and then these facts were devel-
oped. The girl was traced to Mrs.
SchumsOher's, aid was found sitting
upon trunk there, where she was ar
rested. She was conveyed to the county
jail, and on the matter being reported TO
the county Judge, he ordered Mrs. Rein
niger to attend her, which she did, and
the girl is doing we'll Fred Stauss was
also arrested for completely In the muir
der and was placed under a $500 bond.
The girl, who Ia an unmarried woman,
says that she was ruined by a married
man in Fredericksburg, and that her de-
livery WAS premature. She was so
daZed and confused at the time that she
did not know what she was doing.
At the inquest on Saturday the car
driver Stauss admitted he saw the child
thrown in the ditch and heard 1t cry, but
as he didn'tknowwhatt to do he drove on.
DR.. Shepherd gave evidence as to the
girls service with him, and going out In
the day and Drs. Il. l.. Graves andShrop-
shire depOsed that the child WAS born
alive; then the inquest adjourned.
The inquest was resumed this morn
ing and no evidence to hold the street.
car driver Strauss could be secured, and
he was discharged from custody with
la iyS hot ha N
chance to save life to try aud keep his
wits about him, and do so.
Mrs. Schumacher, who lives near
the Springs on the North Flores street
side, is an aunt Of Sophie Fielder She
testified, as did her husband, that they
did not know she was pregnant until
told Of the affair by the police who ar
rested her at their house. She formerly
lived in Fredericksburg and was IN
married. Sophie herself is in the ooun-
ty jail, progressing favorably today.
She charges that her brother-in law,
now in BUerne, is the author of her
shame, and the Justice has telegraphed
an attachment to the sheriff of Gillespie
county to arrest him. Mrs. Shepard,
her mistress, swOre she did not give her
any medicine, but suspected she was in
delicate condition.
The unfortunate mother states that
she had been pregnant for over eight
months, and the doctors corroborate
this by their testimony. She is said to
be rather stupid and supplemented.
The jury returned verdict today
that the child was drowned by its
mother, Sophie Fielder, while she was suf-
fering from fit OF temporary insanity.
The papers in the case have been sent to
the grand Jury.